North American Blizzard of 2010 A.K.A. Snowmageddon

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Transcript of North American Blizzard of 2010 A.K.A. Snowmageddon

SnowmageddonSnowmageddon was the North American blizzard that affected the U.S. and portions of Canada from December 5–29, 2010. From January 4–15. It was the first significant winter storm of the 2010–11 North American winter storm season. The storm was also the 2nd named system of the 2011 European windstorm season. The storm system affected the northeast megalopolis, which includes major cities such as Norfolk, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, Hartford, Providence, and Boston. The storm brought between 12 and 32 inches of snow in many of these areas.ImpactA total of 41 deaths across North America were reported due to the storm. The storm froze the east coast with 18 to 32 inches of snow, ranking among the top five largest snow events in the past 144 years. In Washington D.C. The Metro system was hit hard. Above-ground train service was suspended at 11 p.m. Friday. Bus service was stopped at 9 p.m. the same evening, and remained closed through the day Saturday and in “snow emergency” mode with limited operations through Monday.

What is a blizzard?There are many differing definitions of what a blizzard is, some saying that it is just a storm with widespread snowfall that is joined by strong winds. Other sources say that a blizzard is a heavy snowstorm with winds of 45+ MPH. Both interpretations are right. More often than not, blizzards create dangerous conditions for people and their vehicles, seeing that it is easy to get stuck inside of a building or car for extended periods of time. Where did Snowmageddon hit?The areas affected by the storm was mainly the east coast of the U.S., but some of the storm made its way to the southern parts of the country. Historical impactSnowmageddon brought record high amounts of snowfall to many areas along the east coast and even in the southwest and deep south areas of the U.S.North American Blizzard of 2010 A.K.A. Snowmageddon By: Ethan Harper3rd Pd4/13/2015What Causes a Blizzard?Citationshttp://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/snowmageddon.html

http://superstormsonyx41.weebly.com/blizzards.html

https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/dangerwx/blizzard3.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/02/04/snowmageddon-five-years-later-the-first-mid-atlantic-blizzard-of-february-2010/In order to cause a blizzard, there are three factors that need to be present: Cold air (below freezing) to form the snow, moisture is required to form clouds and precipitation (rain), and rising, warm air is needed to form the clouds and rain as well. When these components combine, the blizzard starts to form.Formation of the blizzardThe main storm system originated in the Pacific Ocean, bringing heavy rain and mountain snow to California and Arizona. The system produced over one foot of snowfall in the higher elevations and the eastern plains of New Mexico. Meanwhile a second, more-northern disturbance tracked from the central Rockies to the lower Missouri River Valley, bringing light snow showers to MT, the Dakotas, parts of MN, WN, IA, and IL. On February 5, the two systems phased together, resulting in a band of heavy snow across IL, IN, OH, and PA.Thanks for listening!